


In Training

by Yrindor



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Xmas Ouji Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:32:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8907382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yrindor/pseuds/Yrindor
Summary: Written for the 2016 Xmas Ouji Exchange for Tumblr user seigaku9th.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2016 Xmas Ouji Exchange for Tumblr user seigaku9th.

"Everyone turn in your training reports and pick up your schedules for next week from Inui before you leave," Tezuka announced after practice at the end of the week.

Kaidou fumbled taking his out of his bag, and all of the pages fell to the ground at his feet. He quickly picked them up and brushed off the worst of the dirt, hoping the remaining smudges wouldn't be too obvious as he handed them to his senpai.

"Thank you, Kaidou," Inui said as he traded him for a fresh training schedule.

Kaidou held his breath as he looked at the first page, and for yet another week, his heart fell. "Thank you, Inui-senpai," he said, hoping he didn't sound too bitter. Yet again, his training regimen had barely increased, even though he had gone beyond what Inui had ordered every single day. He wondered what he was doing wrong; it was impossible to tell what Inui was thinking behind his glasses, but clearly he was still failing to make any sort of impression on his senpai.

He flipped through the schedule, not expecting to find anything new, but then he noticed a scrap of paper tucked between two of the pages. It was divided into four columns: "Exercise," "Target," "Overtraining," and "Final." The first column was full of names of all of the exercises he did during training, and the rest of the page was filled with numbers. He flipped back through the rest of the pages, paying more attention to the actual numbers Inui had filled in, before he looked back at the scrap. The "Final" column seemed to correspond with the numbers Inui had written onto the final schedule, and when he thought about it more, he realized the "Target" column seemed to correspond fairly closely to the actual amounts he had done the previous week.

He froze as the pieces slowly started fitting into place. If he was interpreting the notes correctly, then Inui had known he would go beyond what was ordered of him and had cut a percentage from everything in the schedule in response. He thought that missed the point though; going beyond a false target to meet what was actually the expectation wasn't going beyond at all. He didn't know why Inui had felt the need to make such adjustments, but he rarely understood his senpai's logic. He wouldn't worry too much about Inui's motivations though; if he was correct in his interpretation of the situation, then there was only one thing to do. He'd increase his training even more until it surpassed Inui's targets, and then Inui would have to notice him.

At the end of the next week, he proudly handed in his training report; he'd increased everything by 40%, rather than the 25% Inui had been compensating for.

He did the same the week after that as well, ignoring sore muscles in favor of making an impression, but when Inui handed him his new schedule, the numbers had still barely changed. Except they were now all printed in bold, as if Inui were trying to order him to listen.

He glared at Inui, but it was impossible to see his senpai's reaction through his glasses. Inui didn't look away though, and it was finally Kaidou who hissed as he yanked his new schedule from Inui's hands and stalked back to his bag. It was clear enough what Inui was suggesting, but he wasn't going to back down, not until Inui stopped being so damned cryptic and actually said something.

The next week, his new training schedule looked exactly the same, and he was about ready to yell at his senpai in frustration until he turned the page and found a note on the back.

"I know what you're capable of, Kaidou," it read, "but now's not the time. Save your strength for the tournaments; we'll need you."

It wasn't the answer he had been expecting, but his heart swelled anyway. Maybe Inui had been paying attention after all.

He forced himself to hold back that week and only do a little more than Inui had ordered. When he returned the pages at the end of the week, he scribbled a short apology just below Inui's. "I just wanted to impress Inui-senpai."

The next week, he hoped Inui couldn't hear the way his heart was pounding in his chest as he took his new schedule and hurried back to his bag to see if there was a response to his note. He wasn't even sure what he was hoping for. On the one hand, he wanted to know if Inui was watching, but on the other hand, what if he had been too forward and made things awkward?

His fingers shook as he flipped through the pages of his schedule. He had nearly given up hope when, on the back of the second-to-last page, he found what he was looking for. "I've been impressed by you from the beginning," Inui's note read. "Your determination and commitment are an inspiration."

Surprised, Kaidou looked up from the page and found Inui watching him from across the court. When their eyes met, Inui adjusted his glasses, and Kaidou turned away quickly before Inui could see the way the blood was rising in his face.

Kaidou hoped he wasn't reading too much into the situation when he wrote "I've admired Inui-senpai's intelligence and observation from the day we met," before he handed the report back to Inui at the end of the week.

The next several days seemed to pass at a crawl. He didn't want to be the one to say something, not when he still wasn't sure how Inui felt, but at the same time, waiting an entire week for a response to his note was torture. He had to force himself not to sprint up to Inui and rip his training schedule out of his hands the moment Tezuka ended practice.

It was just as well he restrained himself, because Inui seemed remarkably reluctant to hand the pages over, and he wouldn't meet Kaidou's eyes when he finally did let go. Kaidou's excitement chilled at Inui's odd behavior, and it was with more hesitation than he had expected that he started flipping through the pages.

He had been expecting a short note like the others, but instead he found the entire back of one page covered in numbers and words, most of them crossed out. In a box at the bottom of the page was "probability Kaidou returns feelings 50%, probability Kaidou does not 50%, NEED MORE DATA."

It was more than Kaidou had dared to hope, and he looked up immediately, but Inui had his back to him. He tried to catch Inui while they finished cleaning up, but every time he got too close, Inui suddenly found a reason to be elsewhere. It wasn't until the rest of the team had left that he finally managed to trap Inui by the lockers.

"Probability that Kaidou returns your feelings, 1000%," he growled.

"Probability cannot exceed 100%," Inui said reflexively. Then he stopped as the rest of his brain caught up. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes," Kaidou replied. "Since somewhere around the day I joined the team."

"Oh." For once, Inui seemed nearly speechless.

Kaidou rested a hand on Inui's shoulder. "Would you like to go on a date with me, senpai?" he asked when it didn't appear Inui was going to take the initiative.

"Probability Tezuka would say this is a terrible idea, 80%. Probability this will turn out to be a terrible idea, 40%. Probability I'd like to agree anyway, 95%."

"Is that a yes, Inui-senpai?"

"Yes."


End file.
